JPH0451779B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an improvement in an apparent viscosity measuring device and an apparatus for carrying out an apparent viscosity testing method.

[Technical background and problems]

The apparent viscosity of grease is one of the criteria for evaluating the pressure loss during pumping of grease during centralized lubrication, and performance such as starting torque or running torque of bearings and the like.

The apparent viscosity test method for this grease is JIF K-
As specified in 2220, ASTM-1092, etc.
The apparent viscosity of the test grease is determined by filling a cylinder connected to a capillary with test grease and measuring the pressure applied to the cylinder when the test grease is forced out of the capillary.

In this case, it is common to use several types of capillary tubes (usually four) with different diameters for one sample and to vary the shear rate for measurement.

However, conventional measuring devices only have one
Only the capillary tube of the book is connected, which causes the following inconvenience.

That is, since it is necessary to use several types of capillary tubes and perform measurements at different shear rates, there is an inconvenience that the capillary tubes must be replaced one after another during measurement.

Additionally, in order to keep the grease at a predetermined temperature, the cylinder is generally housed in a constant temperature bath and immersed in a heating medium such as methanol, so the heating medium must be discharged every time the capillary tube is replaced. Not only that, but the time it takes to bring the heat medium, which has been placed in the thermostatic oven again, to a predetermined temperature is also wasted.

Furthermore, in order to replace the capillary tube without discharging the heat medium from the thermostatic oven, it is necessary to remove the cylinder from the thermostatic oven, which places a heavy burden on the operator.

In any case, conventional devices require a lot of time and effort to measure one sample, are extremely complicated, and have poor measurement efficiency.

When measuring a sample whose measurement pressure is unpredictable, the pressure gauge may run out and make measurement impossible, so the operator must monitor the pressure gauge throughout the measurement and switch to an appropriate pressure gauge. There were also some inconveniences, such as not having to move.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparent viscosity measuring device with high measurement accuracy that does not require replacing the capillary tube when measuring the apparent viscosity of a sample, and can save labor and automate the measurement.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

Therefore, the present invention stores grease in a cylinder, pressurizes the stored grease, extrudes it through a capillary tube connected to the cylinder, measures the pressure applied during extrusion, and measures the apparent viscosity of the grease. The measuring device includes a plurality of capillary tubes having different inner diameters, and is provided with a switching device that selectively opens these capillary tubes to the atmosphere. It is characterized by being configured to include a disk having a hole for selective communication, and a drive means for rotating the disk.

In short, the present invention aims to simplify measurement by providing a plurality of capillary tubes, easily form a switching device for communicating the capillary tubes and the cylinder, and improve measurement accuracy. .

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a constant temperature bath 1 is filled with a heat medium 2 such as methanol, and this heat medium 2 is set at a predetermined temperature by a refrigerator or other temperature control means 3. ing.

A cylinder 4 having lid members 4A and 4B on both ends is immersed in the heat medium 2 in the constant temperature bath 1, and a piston 5 is movably inserted into the cylinder 4 in a watertight manner. A first room 6 and a second room 7 are defined. The first chamber 6 is filled with grease 9 to be tested, and the second chamber 7 is supplied with hydraulic oil 10.

The lid member 4B on the second chamber 7 side is filled with hydraulic oil 1.
One end of a high pressure pipe 8 for supplying 0 is connected, and the other end of this high pressure pipe 8 is connected to a gear pump 12.
It is connected to the. A hydraulic oil container 13 is connected to this gear pump 12, and a reduction gear 1
It is designed to be driven by a motor 15 via a motor 4.

A safety valve 17, a valve 18 for returning the hydraulic oil 10 to the hydraulic oil container 13, and a pressure measuring means 20 for measuring the pressure applied to the hydraulic oil 10 are installed in the middle of the high pressure pipe 8. It is being

The pressure measuring means 20 includes four sensors 21, 22, 23 and 2, each having a different measurement range.
4, and these sensors 21 to 2
4 are respectively provided in four pipes branched from the high pressure pipe 8, and four valves 26, 27, 28 and 29 are provided in the middle of these pipes. Thereby, the measurement data detected by the sensors 21 to 24 is sent to the A/D converter 31 via the switching box 30, and the A/D converter 31
The measured values processed in a predetermined manner by the converter 31 are printed and displayed by a printer 32.

On the other hand, the lid 4A of the upper chamber of the cylinder 4 has four capillary tubes 33, 34, 35 and 36 having different inner diameters and lengths according to standards such as JIS.
is connected. These capillaries 33 to 36
are provided at equal intervals on a concentric circle with the lid 4A, and spacers 3
7, 38, 39 and 40 and pipes 41, 4
2, 43 and 44, the tip of which is connected to the grease tray 4.
It is open to the public on the 5th. These capillary tubes 33 to 36 are selectively brought into communication with the cylinder 4 by a switching device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the switching device is rotatably provided in the cylinder on the back surface of the lid 4A, and includes a disk 5 provided with a hole 51 for communicating the cylinder 4 and the capillary tubes 33 to 36.
0, and a motor 53 as a driving means for rotating the disk 50 intermittently or continuously via a drive shaft 54. Note that the motor 53 is supported by a support member 56 fixed to the upper side wall of the thermostatic oven 1. As a result, when the hole 51 and any one of the capillary tubes is in communication, communication between the other capillary tubes and the cylinder 4 is cut off.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, the heat medium 2 is discharged from the thermostatic chamber 51 or the cylinder 4 itself is taken out from the heat medium 2, the lid member 4A of the cylinder 4 is opened, and the grease 9 to be tested is filled and closed. Set one end side of each to the lid member 4A of the cylinder 4.

When the setting is completed by discharging the heat medium 2 from the thermostatic bath 1, the thermostatic bath 1 is filled with the heat medium 2, and the temperature control device 3 sets the thermostatic bath 1 to a predetermined temperature. However, if the setting is carried out by taking out the cylinder 4 from the heating medium 2, the heating medium 2 is maintained at approximately a predetermined temperature, so that constant temperature adjustment can be carried out quickly.

Next, the switching device is operated to select the capillary tube to be used for the first measurement, and the selected capillary tube is communicated with the cylinder 4, while the optimum measurement range for the measurement using the selected capillary tube is set. Open the valve corresponding to the sensor you have, and switch to switch box 3.
0, the A/D converter 31 and printer 32 are put into operation. At this time, the mounting positions of the capillaries 33 to 36 on the lid 4A and the holes 51 of the disk 50 are positioned by controlling the drive of the motor. In other words, the amount of rotation of the drive shaft 54 in one drive cycle of the motor corresponds to the circumferential attachment interval length of the capillary tubes 33 to 36 with respect to the lid 4A.

After this, the motor 15 is activated and the gear pump 12
When the hydraulic oil 10 is supplied into the second chamber 7 by driving the piston 5, the piston 5 is pressed, thereby forcing the grease into the receiver 45 through the selected capillary tube.

Here, when pushing out the grease, the hydraulic oil 1
The pressure applied to 0 is detected by the selected sensor, and the detected measurement data switching box 3
0 and printer 32 via A/D converter 31
is now being recorded.

When the measurement of the sample extrusion pressure for one capillary is completed in this way, the disk 50 is rotated to align the hole 51 with the capillary to be used next and open the capillary. The above-mentioned measurement is carried out by switching one of the valves 26 to 29 according to the sensor having the expected optimum measurement range, and the same measurement is then repeated using all the capillary tubes 33 to 36.

The measurement results obtained for all the capillary tubes 33 to 36 can be entered into a predetermined formula specified in the JIS or the like to determine the apparent viscosity.

This embodiment has the following effects.

That is, in the past, each time the extrusion pressure of grease was measured for one capillary, it had to be replaced with another capillary, and this had to be repeated several times, whereas in this embodiment, four capillary tubes 33 to 36 were used. Since it is sufficient to set the temperature in advance and simply drive the switching device, there is no need for any work such as removing the heat medium 2, making the measurement work extremely simple and rapid measurement possible.

Further, the switching device includes a disk 50 and a motor 5.
3, this structure is extremely simple, and it does not increase the back pressure in the capillary tubes 33 to 36, so it has the effect of effectively preventing measurement errors caused by back pressure. be.

Furthermore, the sensor 21
You can select an appropriate sensor from among 2 to 24 sensors, so when measuring a sample where the measurement pressure is unpredictable, use the sensor with the highest measurement range, and check the results as necessary. By switching to a sensor with a lower measurement range depending on the situation, extremely accurate measurements can be made without the risk of the meter going overboard.

In the above embodiment, the grease 9 is pushed out from the cylinder 4 and released into the saucer 45 via the capillaries 33 to 36, the spacers 37 to 40, and the pipes 41 to 44, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. Instead, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameters of the spacers 37 to 40 may be made relatively large so that the grease 9 can be accommodated within these spacers 37 to 40.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a collective spacer 60 having an integrally provided cylindrical outer shape is provided, and this spacer 60 is divided into four equal parts in the axial direction to define a plurality of rooms 60A to 60D, These rooms 60A-6
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the extruded grease 9 is stored in 0D. At this time, the output shaft 54 of the motor 53 is provided so as to pass through a small cylinder 61 provided at the axial center of the spacer 60.

Therefore, according to these modified examples, in addition to the effects obtained in the above-mentioned embodiments, it is possible to achieve the miniaturization of the apparatus and to further eliminate measurement errors caused by back pressure. can.

Further, in the above description, the switching means and the pressure measuring valves 26 to 29 are driven separately, but they may be driven in conjunction using a known drive circuit. This makes the operation even easier.

Further, the switching means may be a solenoid valve, and in this case, it is sufficient to adopt a circuit configuration for controlling opening and closing of the solenoid valve.

Further, the disk 50 is driven by a motor 5.
The configuration is not limited to 3, and the configuration can be simplified by using a manual operation handle or the like.
At this time, as a means for positioning the mounting positions of the capillaries 33 to 36 on the lid 4A and the holes 51 of the disk 50, for example, a moderation mechanism may be used. This mechanism uses a so-called click action to form irregularities on the back surface of the lid 4A and on the disk 50 so as to accurately position the two.
It can be constructed by forming it on the upper surface of.

Further, the switching means, valves 26 to 29,
Sensors 21 to 24, switching box 30, A/
The D converter 31, printer 32, and motor 15 may be connected to a microcomputer via a known interface or the like, so that a series of these operations can be performed automatically. According to this, all measurements after setting the sample, capillary tube, etc. can be performed automatically, making it possible to automate the measurement and save labor.

Furthermore, although the lengths of the capillaries 33 to 36 are different from each other, they may have the same length as long as they have at least different inner diameters.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an apparent viscosity measuring device that allows extremely simple sample measurement, rapid measurement, high measurement accuracy, automation of measurement, and labor saving. be able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged switching device in the embodiment, and FIG. and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of essential parts showing a modification of the above embodiment. 4...Cylinder, 33, 34, 35, 36...
Capillary tube, 50...Disc constituting the switching device, 5
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Hole, 53... Motor as a drive means which comprises a switching device, 54... Drive shaft, 60... Collective spacer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Grease is housed in a cylinder, the housed grease is pressurized and extruded through a capillary tube connected to the cylinder, and the pressure applied during this extrusion is measured by a pressure measuring means to determine the apparent viscosity of the grease. The measuring device includes a plurality of capillary tubes having different inner diameters, and is provided with a switching device that selectively opens these capillary tubes to the atmosphere. 1. An apparent viscosity measuring device comprising: a disk having holes for selective communication; and a drive means for rotating the disk.